Apr 14 1966
From The Space Library
Two space cooperation agreements were confirmed by Spanish Foreign Minister Fernando Castiella and Secretary of State Dean Rusk in a State Dept. ceremony attended by NASA Deputy Administrator Robert C. Seamans, Jr. First agreement provided that NASA and Spain's Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial (INTA) would share in the operation of NASA space tracking and data acquisition station near Madrid which maintains radio contact with unmanned lunar and interplanetary probes and would support manned Apollo mission. Effective from May 1,1966, to Jan. 28,1974, and in accordance with government-to-government agreement between Spain and U.S. of Jan. 29, 1964, contract provided that Spanish engineers and technicians would be trained and assigned to tracking, telemetry, communications, and. support. Some of INTA's key personnel had already begun special training at Deep Space Facilities, Goldstone, Calif. Second agreement, part of a continuing Spanish program of cooperation in space investigation, provided for joint project to launch four sounding rockets in Spain to study winds and temperatures at high altitudes. Agreement was in form of a memorandum of understanding between INTA and NASA: INTA would establish sounding rocket range, construct grenade-type payloads, provide two Nike-booster rockets, conduct launchings, and analyze and publish the data; NASA would lend range tracking and telemetry equipment and a launcher, provide two Nike booster rockets, provide prototype payload, and train Spanish personnel as needed. Both agencies would bear the cost of discharging their respective responsibilities. Results of the experiments would be made available to world scientific community. (NASA Release 66-83)
Two NASA Aerobee 150 sounding rockets were launched from WSMR, first reached 114-mi. (183-km.) altitude and measured intensity of ultraviolet dayglow between 1160 A and 1400 A in the zenith, in the nadir, and on the horizon; second reached 120-mi. (192-km.) altitude and measured the profile and intensity of the solar Lyman-alpha line. (NASA Rpt. SRL)
NASA's Apollo Applications program would be hampered by lack of payloads unless Congress granted additional funds in FY 1968 budget, NASA Administrator James E. Webb told press conference at Colorado Women's College. NASA's efforts to obtain appropriations for post-Apollo projects had been hindered by rising costs of the Vietnamese war and Congressional discontent with NASA's increasing administrative costs. Webb said the US. was behind in the space race "except for rendezvous and docking, and the Ranger mission. . . . Russia has widened the gap during the past two years, launching two Proton payloads of 27,500 pounds each-which is heavier than we can lift-recovering payloads of 10,000 to 15,000 pounds, and launching a three-man spacecraft. . . ." Questioned about the House Government Operations Committee's suggestion that NASA abandon the Apollo Applications program and participate in USAF's Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, Webb said he did not believe a "complete, common use" of facilities was possible, noting that many of the countries in which the US. had tracking facilities would not cooperate if installations were used for military projects. (Denver Post, 4/15/66)
First simulated exploration of the moon had shown that two astronauts could live and intelligently perform tasks for at least 18 days in cabin with 117 cu. ft. of living-working space. Test was performed in support of Apollo Applications program by two MSFC engineers in Minneapolis [see Feb. 20, March 101. (MSFC Release 66-80)
Recent Soviet space accomplishments indicated that a manned space spectacular was imminent, suggested William Hines in the Washington Evening Star. He noted LUNA E's soft-landing on the moon Feb. 3, LUNA X's launch into lunar orbit March 31, and the 22-day flight of two dogs in COSMOS CX Feb. 22-March 16. (Hines, Wash. Eve. Star, 4/14/66, A12)
Secretary of the Air Force Dr. Harold Brown issued memorandum approving recommendations of panel appointed to investigate USAF relations with "not-for-profit" corporations and ordering that fees paid to the corporations be substantially reduced. In report, issued Feb. 1, panel had said that nonprofit corporations ". . . continue to be an indispensible factor in developing and acquiring complex aerospace systems and in assuring their function through command and control," but that "guidelines . . . point to a fee substantially lower than at present." (Text, AP, Wash. Sun. Star, 4/17/66, A10; Wash. Post, 4/17/66, A14)
Inter-American Development Bank awarded Page Communications, Inc., $250,000 contract to "determine the most economic locations for ground stations in South America which would be linked to the satellite system, and the means of connection with local telecommunications systems." Study would be carried out with ComSatCorp cooperation. (IDB Release; Wash. Post, 4/16/66, C6)
In a lecture at Rice Univ., Dr. Henry Faul of the Graduate Research Center of the Southwest's geosciences division insisted on the terrestrial origin of tektites in opposition to lunar-origin theory of many experts: "The fatal objection to the theory that tektites are of lunar origin is the fact that there is no known mechanism of fight that can explain how something that hits the moon, generates a lot of heat and is melted into a jet stream, is somehow dumped in the widely varying patterns and areas where tektites have been found on earth." (Justice, Houston Post, 4/19/66)
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